Brazil's Lula: "Will Call Trump... Not Because of Tariffs"

Phone Call to Trump for UN Climate Conference Invitation
Xi Jinping and Modi Also Included, Putin Excluded

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on the 5th (local time) that he is willing to have a phone conversation with U.S. President Trump, who imposed an ultra-high tariff rate of 50% on Brazil, but clarified, "It is not because of the tariff issue."

AFP Yonhap News

According to the local daily G1, President Lula chaired a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that day and said, "It is because President Trump does not want to talk about trade," explaining his position.

He reiterated that Brazil has never withdrawn from the negotiating table with the United States to ease trade tensions, and emphasized once again that the only reason for U.S. sanctions on Brazilian products is political.

He further explained that he intends to call President Trump as part of inviting major world leaders to the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30), which will be held in Belem, Brazil in November.

He added, "I will call Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi," and continued, "I do not plan to call Russian President Vladimir Putin, who cannot travel abroad."

President Putin is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes related to the war in Ukraine.

ICC member states, including Brazil, are required under the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, to cooperate in executing the arrest warrant if President Putin enters their territory.

President Lula stressed that the tariffs imposed by President Trump on Brazil are an "unjust attack" and emphasized that he will implement emergency plans to mitigate them and reduce economic and social losses.

Meanwhile, Mexico and Canada are preparing a summit to seek ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on X (formerly Twitter) that day, "We received the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance at the presidential palace," along with a photo of the meeting.

Previously, President Sheinbaum of Mexico and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed during a phone call on the 15th of last month to meet in Mexico City. Separately, Mexican Minister of Economy Marcelo Ebrard plans to discuss experiences in responding to U.S. tariffs with Canadian Minister of Finance Francois-Philippe Champagne.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.